Sunday, October 30, 2016

Our first stop on Tuesday July 19th was visit the Kansas City Temple in Missouri. It was another beautiful testament to how much things have changed for members of our faith in the state of Missouri.

Following our brief stop at the temple, we drove north-west to Council Bluffs Iowa and visited a replica of the Kanesville Tabernacle. The Kanesville Tabernacle was originally built by by 200 pioneers in just two and a half weeks. It was where Brigham young was sustained as the second prophet of the church.

We then crossed the river to historic Winter Quarters visitors center in Nebraska. Winter Quarters was a temporary settlement where the early pioneers rested for a bit before continuing their trek west. We were also able to stop and see the Winter Quaters temple.

We made it to Winner South Dakota by nightfall and settled in for the night.

Monday, July 18. We woke early and packed and tidied up the rooms we were staying in while Elder and Sister Johnson did their morning Chores.

Sis. Johnson served us a delicious breakfast then we all took another tour of the Carthage Jail. This tour was the perfect way to start and end our Nauvoo church history visit.

After our tour, we said our goodbyes. I was very emotional as I embraced my Aunt Pam. I was so grateful to her and Elder Johnson and wished we could stay longer.

We drove west to the beautiful site of Adam-ondi-Ahman lies at a bend in the Grand River in northern Missouri. A temple block was dedicated there by Brigham young, but no cornerstones were laid or temple constructed because just days after the land was dedicated the Saints were ordered to leave the settlement. The church Owns the land once again and it is a beautiful and sacred property.

President Saline, from our old stake presidency is serving a mission there as a grounds keeper with his wife. He met us at the entrance of the property and invited us to join him in his truck for a private tour of the area. It was a privilege to see that blessed land.

After leaving Adam-ondi-Ahman, we went to the Far West temple site. Like Adam-ondi-Ahmen, the site was dedicated for a temple. Cornerstones were laid, but before the saints could build a temple ther they too, were driven out.

Our last stop of the day was Liberty Jail in Independence Missouri. It was where the Prophet Joseph Smith spent approximately five months awaiting trial. While there, he received many revelations which are included in the Doctrine and Covenants today. We couldn't imagine the suffering that took place in that dungeon cell. How grateful we are for the sacrifices made by the Prophet Joseph and the other great men who endured all the suffering there with him.

That night we stayed at a nearby hotel in Kansas City. It was anther wonderful day.

Sunday, July 17 was a wonderful Day. We attended sacrament meeting with the Johnsons. Afterwards we all went to the Nauvoo Grove. The grove is one of the places where the Prophet Joseph preached to the members in Nauvoo.

Next we all walked the “Trail of Hope” to the banks of the Mississippi River. The Trail of Hope is marked all along the path with uplifting and solemn quotes from the pioneers who lived in and left Beautiful Nauvoo.

Next we visited two historic sites, the Riser Boot Shop and Sarah Granger Kimball’s home. Then we went by the headquarters of Facilities Maintenance and were given a tour of the greenhouses. Even though most of the greenhouses are nearly empty for the summer, we still found a lot of colorful and interesting potted plants to see.

Our final stop of the day was at the Nauvoo Visitor’s Center to watch the performance of the Young Performing Missionaries in “Be Still.” The performance was only 15 minutes long and was very reverent and spiritual.

After the show, we followed Elder and Sister Johnson back to their home in Carthage where we would spend our last night in Illinois. We were fed a delicious meal and Before going to bed. We had fun visiting and playing "Go to Heck" with Elder and Sister Johnson

Words can't express how grateful we are for Aunt Pam and Uncle David. Having them there in Carthage and Nauvoo made our stay even more amazing than it otherwise would have been. They are wonderful missionaries and are taking such great care of the grounds in Carthage and Nauvoo. And they took great care of us too!

Saturday was filled with more tours, shows and fun! We started the day with a horse drawn wagon ride which took us around the outskirts of Nauvoo. It was beautiful and very informative. Then, we toured the print shop, tin smith, and Webb Brothers Blacksmith shop.

Just after lunch, We met up with Elder and Sister Johnson at the main visitors center to watch "The Promise” put on by the Young Performing Missionaries. "The Promise" was a sweet love story filled with amazing singing and dancing.

After the show we all toured The Heber C. Kimball home and the Wilford Woodruff home.

Then, to show our appreciation to the Johnsons for their hospitality and for being excellent guides for our stay in Nauvoo, we treated them to dinner at the all you can eat buffet at our Hotel, the Hotel Nauvoo. The food and company was so great!

Our last stop for the day was to watch Elder and Sister Johnson preform in “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo” at the Cultural Hall. It was a fun show that had us had us laughing out loud! We Loved it!

On Friday July 13th continued our tour of Old Nauvoo. We spent more time in the family living center and toured the Brigham Young home, the Seventies hall, and many other restored homes and businesses.

That evening we met up with Elder and Sister Johnson for their performance of “Sunset by the Mississippi.” During the Nauvoo Brass Band’s pre-show music the audience is invited to come on stage and dance. Eliza was invited to dance with her Uncle David! The show was wonderfully entertaining, funny and moving all at the same time. The young preforming missionaries sing and dance with the senior couples. Elder and sister Johnson did a great job along with everyone involved.

“Sunset by the Mississippi” got over at 8:00 pm and the “British Pageant” started at 8:30 so we walked over to the other large outdoor stage a few blocks away to watch the “British Pageant". The “British Pageant” portrays the ministry of Apostle Heber C. Kimball, the assignment of all the Apostles to preach in England and the faith and sacrifice exhibited by early converts as they embraced the light of the restored gospel. It was a wonderful show! I hope to be able to see it again someday.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Thursday July 14th. We began our day touring the Carthage jail visitors center and Carthage Jail. It was a perfect way to begin our stay in Carthage/Nauvoo. The last room of the tour was the room where Joseph Smith Jr. And his Brother Hyrum were martyred. It's where they sealed their testimony of the restored gospel with their blood. The spirit in that room was one of solemnity and peace.

After our tour of Carthage, we drove to Nauvoo and checked into The Nauvoo Hotel. We also had a little time to tour the Old Nauvoo cultural hall and the Family living center before meeting Elder and Sister Johnson at the Nauvoo temple.

Before our trip, I had done some research and found several family names that needed the have their temple work done. The trio were able to complete all of their baptisms and confirmations. We all loved being in the Nauvoo Temple and didn't want to leave but we still had so much to do and so little time!

Next, we toured the historic Brick yard. During the tour each family is given a comemorative Nauvoo Brick, but our children recieved something special. They were each given a brick made special for them by Elder and Sister Johnson. Their bricks were personalized with their names and the year we visited stamped on the back. They treasure their bricks and are so thankful for them.

Following our brick yard tour, we walked over to the Pendleton log home and school for a brief "lesson" on the educational system of old Nauvoo.

We had a picnic dinner at the park then we all enjoyed the Nauvoo Country Fair followed by the Nauvoo pageant. We loved every minute of the fair and pageant. It was a perfect day!

Saturday, October 1, 2016

On Wednesday July 13th we drove thru Indiana and most of Illinois. We were on our way to Carthage Illinois. My aunt Pam and uncle David Johnson are Missionaries there, and at the time, were the grounds keepers at the historic Carthage jail. (They have since been transferred to Nauvoo and are the head grounds keepers over all of the historical sites there.) They lived in a little home there on the property and were kind enough to let us stay with them.
On the drive, We stopped at the Indianapolis Indiana temple. It was one of the most beautiful temples we saw on our Trip! It was breathtaking! In fact, we were so impressed with it, we wanted to hurry and change into our Sunday clothes and take the kids in to do some baptisms. Unfortunately, the temple was closed and wouldn't be opening for another couple of hours. We were sad that we didn't have time to wait around for it to open and continued our drive west.

Later that afternoon, just after we crossed the boarder into Illinois, We drove thru one of the craziest rain storms. It was scary because we could only see about 20 feet ahead of us and we were in it for over 30 miles there were also tornado warnings for the area being broadcasted on the radio.

We finally made it safely to Pam and David's home at around eight that night, and felt so happy and grateful to be with them. They had extra bedding and towels ready for us. We were able to get the some beds made for the kids in their large basement, and Adam and I were able to sleep in their very comfortable spare room.

Gurr Family Dictionary

Those of you who have spent time with our family may have noticed that at times, we seem to have a language of our own. I thought it would be helpful to let you know what some of our favorite words and phrases mean to us.

Adgita (ad-je-tu) n. The feeling of being annoyed, or having heartburn, or indigestion. "Honey, I ate to much chili-dog-Pie, and it gave me adgita."

Buggy (bug'i)n. Any off road vehicle used solely for recreational purposes. Also known as ATV's. "Dad will you take us for a buggy ride on the Ranger ?"

Chokev. This is what the kids call throwing up. " I'm feelling sick. I think I am going to choke."

Choncho (chon-choe) n. A small town in northeastern AZ. the town is actually called Concho, but it reminds us of the town in the movie "Nacho Libre". So, we named it after a character in the movie... Choncho. "Man, If I had a double wide in Choncho, and one in Hell. I'd rent out the one in Choncho, and live in Hell.

Gee-on-out-o-here!adv. An expression directed at dogs. Adam loves shouting this phrase at dogs. He does it just so he can sound like a red neck. It's actually quite hillarious when he says it.

Grandma Milkn. Chocolate milk. While we never have chocolate milk in our home, Grandma Quist seems to have it on tap. "Mom, how come you never give us Grandma Milk?"

"Becauase I'm not Grandma that's why."

Janice bowln. an extremly large plastic bowl. It can be used for just about anything from bathing babies to holding a giant batch of popcorn. Every year Ruth's Aunt Janice gives us one for Christmas. "I need a Janice bowl, I'm about to choke."

Jonny-Big-Rig (jon-E-big-rig) n. any abnormaly large object or person. "Adam, you shouldn't call that lady a Jonny-Big-Rig. It's offensive!"

Junky Momma !adv. This term originated several years ago in the Quist household. It is an expression of extreme excitement. "After opening a box of lego's on his sixth birthday Russ was so overjoyed, that he yelled "Junky Momma!"

Popawheelie (pop-a-weel 'i) v. Making the front tire of your bike lift up off of the ground."Mom! Watch me popawheelie !" n. The name of Caleb's bike riding club. "Mom, I have new club called the popawheelie club, and I am the President."

Quit it Out !adv. An expression that means stop. One day Adam either meant to say "quit it" or "cut it out." The result was "Quit it out !" Now we say it all the time. "You better quit it out or you will be going to your room young lady!"

Sledn. a snowmobile." Kids,. its snowing ! Call Grandpa and ask him to bring up his sleds so we can go on a sweet ride."

Tempern. The kids way of saying temperature." Mom I dont feel good. You should check my temper."

About Us

Adam and I met way back in the second grade. Sixteen Years later we went on our first date,and within four months we were married. Adam is everything a husband and father should be. I consider myself truly blessed that he's mine for eternity. Two years after we were married I became pregnant with triplets. Eliza, Sarah, and Caleb joined our family in Dec. of 03. They are our miracles and we thank our Heavenly Father every day for sending them to us.
Adam spends his days as a General Contractor,operating grading and excavating equipment. I get to be a homemaker and raise our trio as a "stay at home mom". When Adam and I were kids, he loved playing in the sandbox with his toy trucks and tractors. I loved playing house with all of my baby dolls. I guess we're both living out our childhood dreams.
We love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It brings our family so much happiness. And that's why.. "We are a Happy Family."